A new step in railway digitisation has begun with the deployment of a humanoid robot at one of India’s busiest stations to improve safety, security, and passenger services.
The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has introduced a humanoid robot named “ASC ARJUN” at Visakhapatnam Railway Station. According to the national transporter, this is a first-of-its-kind initiative in Indian Railways. The move is part of efforts to use advanced technology for better service delivery and stronger security systems.
The robot has been deployed under the Railway Protection Force (RPF) modernisation and digital transformation programme. It is designed to support railway operations in security monitoring, passenger assistance, crowd control, cleanliness checks, and safety awareness.
ECoR said the robot has been fully designed and developed in Visakhapatnam using indigenous technology. The development team worked for more than 1 year to build the system.
The humanoid robot is equipped with multiple intelligent features:
- Intrusion detection:
Using a Face Recognition System (FRS), the robot can identify intruders and instantly alert RPF staff through IoT-based notifications, reducing response time.
- Crowd management:
AI-based passenger density analysis helps detect congestion. The robot sends alerts to the control room and security teams for quick action during peak hours.
- Public announcements:
The robot delivers automated safety and information messages in English, Hindi, and Telugu to guide passengers and improve compliance.
- Platform patrol:
It can move semi-autonomously along predefined routes with obstacle avoidance, enabling 24×7 patrolling and reducing manpower pressure.
- Passenger assistance:
ASC ARJUN interacts with passengers using friendly gestures and information support, improving trust and the public image of the RPF.
- Situational awareness:
An integrated dashboard provides real-time data to RPF and control rooms for better decision-making.
- Fire and smoke detection:
The robot can detect early signs of fire or smoke and issue instant alerts for faster emergency response.
Additional features include multilingual safety messages, cultural gestures such as Namaste to passengers and salute to RPF officers, real-time IoT connectivity with control rooms, and a passenger-friendly interface for interaction and support.
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